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The Manhattan Project--2016 A to Z Theme

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Thursday, April 12, 2012

Kaizen

A diagram to show the two PDCA cycles. The first cycle is Plan, Do, Check and Act, while the second cycle is a sub-set of the "Do" part, containing Problem Finding, Display, Clear and Acknowledge. These are part of the kaizen method of quality control, and also is used in the Toyota Way. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most of us want to better ourselves as individuals and continually improve our marketing efforts. The Japanese call this continual improvement philosophy Kaizen. You may call it tweaking or fine-tuning. Call it what you will, staying in one place gets you nowhere and will result in stagnation.

The energy of a body in motion is called kinetic energy. This is as opposed to potential energy which is stored energy or energy in a dormant stage waiting to be released. If you're just waiting for something to happen in your marketing effort, chances are nothing is going to happen. Goals are reached by taking action.

Your actions will involve energy being put into use. Your exertion of energy will result in your internal energy being stimulated into more action and thought. Each success should fuel more inspiration while your shortfalls should prod you into figuring out why something didn't work like you expected.

Effort and quality are two essential components of kaizen. Most goals don't happen without exerting effort. Your efforts should be directed toward attaining quality results.

Kinship

Trying to get everything done by yourself might work if you're dealing with things on a very small level, but when you are striving for grand results you need the help of others who are working toward the same ends. When kaizen is practiced in a corporate setting every level of a company becomes involved from upper and middle management, to sales and operations staff, and even to the customer. Input from every part of the business process is important to understanding how things work and what can be done to make them better.

In your marketing efforts you need feedback from everyone who is a stakeholder in what you are doing. Every part of your program needs to be on the same page to make sure there is a common goal. Develop a sense of kinship with your agents, sales staff, product suppliers--everyone who has a role in your production. If every member is like a part of the family your chances of success will be increased.

Total involvement of stakeholders is essential to kaizen. You, as well as all of them, need to be open to change when things aren't working. The key element to this involvement is communication. If everyone understands the whats and whys, then it is easier to build a winning team.

Knowledge

As with anything, the more we know about kaizen and how it can be applied to our marketing efforts, the better equipped we will be to put the process to more effective use. There are many books on the topic since it is a philosophy that is widely used in business as well as personal development. You don't have to become an kaizen expert, but a working knowledge will enhance your approach to marketing as a continually improving process.

We should strive for growth in everything we do and that includes our marketing efforts.

K as in Knight:

I'm not talking about men in armor, but Ciara Knight and her blog Defy the Dark.

And let's not forget Kahlanie who is the official A to Z anti-Challenge mascot. He has given us such a laugh at ourselves which is something we all need to keep things in proper perspective. Thank you Gary for keeping it real as in real fun.

I've not heard of Kaizen, Arlee, but then marketing has never been a strength of mine. I have heard of Kinetic Energy but anything with the word 'energy' in it is making me twitch right now. Who's got energy in the middle of the A to Z? Not me! ;-)A to Z of Nostalgia

Hey Lee,A very knowledgeable post and speaking of 'Knight'-Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot walked into 'Yee Olde Inn'. "My good innkeeper. We require a room for two knights.", said Sir Lancelot. "That is fine. You can pay for your lodgings upon your departure." replied the innkeeper. The next morning, Sir Galahad and Sir Lancelot, approached the innkeeper. "My good man" said Sir Galahad, "we wish to pay for our lodgings." Looking rather perplexed, the innkeeper responded, "Oh, I thought you wanted a room for two nights?"

And Lee,thanks for the link back to my shy, humble and unassuming site, however the name of my blog is "Klahanie", a word which comes from the Chinook tribe of the Pacific Northwest of North America. The word, klahanie, basically means, 'the great outdoors'. Anyway, continued fun with the alphabet challenge and the irony that I actually draw attention to it all. With respect and good wishes to all involved, Gary

I don't know what's wrong with me. I read yous post, which was wonderfully written, and followed a few of the links provided, yet I am no closer to understanding this concept. Some part of me must be resisting it.

I like that you emphasized the importance of effort and quality. An author at a conference once said to us that good writing doesn't happen by accident- it requires a lot of work. The more I write, the more I see that it doesn't matter so much how many pages I nail in a day- it's the quality of my work that really counts.

Go ahead and say something. Don't be afraid to speak your mind.I normally try to respond to all comments in the comment section so please remember to check the "Email follow-up comments" box if you want to participate in the comment conversation.

For Battle of the Bands voting the "Anonymous" commenting option has been made available though this version is the least preferred. If voting using "anonymous" please include in your comment your name (first only is okay) and city you are voting from and the reason you chose the artist you did.

If you know me and want to comment but don't want to do it here, then you can send me an email @ jacksonlee51 at aol dot com.

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A juggler of words and phrases. My main blog is Tossing It Out. The focus blog for the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge can now be found at a-to-zchallenge.com where updates will be posted until the event in April begins.
Wrote By Rote is about memoir writing.
A Few Words is my Sunday contemplation blog.
A Faraway View is about dreams. Pick what you like or look at them all. I love blogging!